Southern Illinois University
6-1 , 3-0
Western Kentucky
4-2 , 2-1
Football Crushes Western Kentucky 38-10
10/16/2004 | 12:00:00 | Football
Oct. 16, 2004
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - In the end, it was not even close.
Brandon Jacobs scored three rushing touchdowns and top-ranked Southern Illinois crushed No. 4 Western Kentucky 38-10 Saturday in Gateway Conference action at McAndrew Stadium.
The Salukis (6-1, 3-0) racked up 473 yards of total offense, and the Hilltoppers (4-2, 2-1) - despite gaining 352 offensive yards - had trouble finding the end zone.
Jacobs plowed through the defensive line for his third 1-yard TD at 1:09 of the third quarter - and SIU went up 28-3. The game was out of reach at that point.
"Brandon ran harder the last two games than he has all year," said SIU head coach Jerry Kill. "I think a lot of that has to do with comfort.
"He wasn't here in the spring, and he's had to pick all this up like that."
Jacobs indicated that some of WKU's defensive unit talked quite a bit of trash before and during the game. The transfer running back played against them last season while with Auburn.
"I had a good game against them last year, but I think this one is better because I'm closer with my team here," Jacobs said. "They came out saying all kinds of things, but I just ignored it and played football."
Jacobs did look like a man possessed when he touched the ball. The senior ran with fire and hit the holes with extra force. It was obvious he was really psyched up to play in this game.
"My offensive line really moved some Hilltoppers off the ball," Jacobs said. "They work hard all week, and I commend them for it.
"They did a great job."
Joel Sambursky threw a 12-yard TD strike to Brent Little late in the fourth quarter to put Southern up 38-10. Sambursky was 13-of-18 for 163 yards and a touchdown. The junior QB threw one interception.
Sambursky also eclipsed the record for the most offensive yards in school history. On his first play of the game, Micah Turner caught a 12-yard pass from the Saluki QB to tie the record - and the rest was history. The quarterback's 214 yards of total offense moved him past Sherard Poteete to 5, 211 yards - and he is only a junior.
"I'm ultimately going to be judged by the wins and losses," Sambursky said. "That's what I'm really concerned about.
"It is an honor, and it shows how great the guys around me are."
The Saluki quarterback played consistent with few mistakes, and it showed on the scoreboard.
"We didn't have stupid penalties, and we didn't turn the ball over much," Sambursky said. "I felt like we were able to run at will and eat up a lot of clock."
The Salukis dominated Western's defense for most of the game.
"We're not supposed to be stopped by anyone," Jacobs said. "So, we just went out and did what we had to do."
Most people probably figured this would be a close game that would go down to the wire. It did not turn out that way.
"You never prepare to lose, but I thought it would be a 21-20, 19-17 game," Kill said. "I think we controlled the momentum for most of the game."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Salukis jumped out to a quick start as Jacobs scored his first touchdown with 13:16 remaining in the second quarter - that was a 12-play drive that totaled 88 yards.
On the ensuing kickoff, Marlon Heaston popped Dennis Mitchell forcing a fumble. Patrick Jordan recovered for SIU at the WKU 25 yard line.
"I think that was a shift in the ball game," Kill said. "I don't think there's any question about that."
Sambursky quickly followed with a 10-yard TD pass to Micah Turner as Southern took a 14-0 lead.
Western Kentucky tacked on a field goal to make the score 14-3 in favor of SIU at halftime.
The Hilltoppers appeared to gain momentum as the second half began when they drove over 60 yards down the field, but SIU's Yemi Akisanya intercepted quarterback Justin Haddix's pass at the Saluki 10.
"It came down to turnovers, and we took advantage of the mistakes they made," Kill said. "They didn't take advantage of the mistakes we made."
SIU proceeded to drive 90 yards down the field culminating in another Jacobs TD. Sambursky's 23-yard completion to Alan Turner pushed the Salukis past midfield during their drive, and they never looked back.
On Western's next possession, Haddix fired a deep pass that was picked off by Alexis Moreland at the SIU 45. The standout safety returned the ball 29 yards to the WKU 26. SIU gave Jacobs the ball five straight times which resulted in another 1-yard score for the Auburn transfer.
"It's probably his (Jacobs) best effort since he's been here, overall," Kill said.
On third-and-six from their own 30, Haddix dropped back and Saluki backup linebacker Phillip Doyle introduced him to the turf for a loss of nine yards.
Western's Brian Porter finally scored a TD for the Hilltoppers in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. Porter finished with 92 yards on 17 carries.
Terry Jackson looked strong in the second half and finished with 86 yards on 11 carries for SIU. Arkee Whitlock added 51 yards on 12 carries.
"Coach had a nice rotation going with us," Jacobs said. "If we can do that, we'll beat a lot of people."
Little wound up with four catches for 75 yards and a TD. Tight end Micah Turner caught four passes for 40 yards including a score.
"It's a great accomplishment for our young people to have six wins at this particular time," Kill said. "Of course we're not going to quit there, and we don't want to.
"That's a special moment for this program because this program struggled for a long time."
Kill now has a .500 record as SIU's head coach (21-21).
The Salukis hit the road next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. Gateway affair with Southwest Missouri State.
Team Stats
WKU 0, SIU 7
SIU - Brandon Jacobs 1 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 12 plays, 88 yards, TOP 5:16
WKU 0, SIU 14
SIU - Micah Turner 10 yd pass from Joel Sambursky (Craig Coffin kick) 4 plays, 25 yards, TOP 1:31
WKU 3, SIU 14
WKU - James, Chris 29 yd field goal 13 plays, 78 yards, TOP 4:40
WKU 3, SIU 21
SIU - Brandon Jacobs 1 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 5:00
WKU 3, SIU 28
SIU - Brandon Jacobs 1 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 2:34
WKU 3, SIU 31
SIU - Craig Coffin 24 yd field goal 12 plays, 71 yards, TOP 5:41
WKU 10, SIU 31
WKU - Porter, Brian 2 yd run (James, Chris kick), 9 plays, 62 yards, TOP 2:12
WKU 10, SIU 38
SIU - Brent Little 12 yd pass from Joel Sambursky (Craig Coffin kick) 6 plays, 52 yards, TOP 2:08